Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 567,651 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,010,313 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 567,651 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 2.59% of Hilton Worldwide worth $1,559,316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth $676,201,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 12.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,100,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,620,531,000 after buying an additional 1,132,880 shares during the period. Winslow Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 62.6% in the second quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,894,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $504,532,000 after acquiring an additional 729,295 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 126.3% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,138,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $303,173,000 after acquiring an additional 635,220 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 210.8% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 202,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,834,000 after acquiring an additional 384,535 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $317.00 to $330.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $312.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $255.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.18.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 114,289 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.47, for a total value of $36,283,328.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,570,194.15. This trade represents a 75.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of HLT opened at $298.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $68.40 billion, a PE ratio of 48.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.10. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.04 and a 12 month high of $333.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $304.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $283.43.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.06. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 40.24% and a net margin of 12.10%.The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. Hilton Worldwide has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.490-8.610 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.910-1.970 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is 9.80%.

Hilton Worldwide Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts. Its business spans full-service luxury and lifestyle properties, select- and focused-service hotels, and extended-stay accommodations. The company generates revenue through management and franchise fees, owned and leased real estate, and guest services, and supports customer retention and direct bookings through its Hilton Honors guest loyalty program.

Hilton’s brand portfolio includes internationally recognized names across the lodging spectrum, from luxury and upper-upscale brands to midscale and extended-stay offerings.